As those who have read the Buying a bike series of articles will know, here at Tri247 we believe that a properly fitted bike is the only place to start from so when James Parker told us about a new online service that he had used to get set up on his machine we asked for his comments.

When Lance Armstrong said “It’s not all about the bike” maybe he was right, as you could easily argue that it is all about the fit. With a bad position, a rider could not only be losing power through poor biometrics but also have to fight the wind more by presenting a greater frontal surface area. I have worked extensively with my sponsors Ultimate Sports Engineering (USE) and Carbontec on selecting the most aerodynamic equipment I can use and decided recently to look into the other 90% of the equation – the rider. The timing was ideal as I was being forced to back off the training due a little niggle in my hip that needed rest.

I searched the net and researched aerodynamics as much as I could but it’s not like the UK has wind-tunnel facility in every town. My next angle was to try and get my basic position on the bike analysed to see if that would make a difference. It was then that I stumbled across www.ttbikefit.com and so began to work with Todd analysing my current position.

I wasn’t quite sure what I’d get out of this process as in my own mind my position was fairly good and, whilst not quite as aero as Natasha Badmann, I’d say I was pretty close to perfect. As it turns out, I wasn’t too shabby but not exactly great. My before and after comparison can be found at www.ttbikefit.com/jp-ba001.wmv and it just goes to show that little things really can make a big difference. I am still having trouble with my hip so I might well end up raising the front end on my bike so as to not put as much stress through my hip and pelvis but rest assured that I will be consulting Todd when the change is made...